Miles "Tails" Prower[a] is a character created by Japanese game designer Yasushi Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi designed Tails as part of an internal competition to create a character to serve as a sidekick to Sonic.

A compromise was eventually reached, leaving Miles Prower as the fox's name and Tails as his nickname.

Tails has received positive reception since his debut, with critics naming him as being among the most iconic sidekicks in gaming.

Tails' likeness has been adapted in merchandise, as well as almost all Sonic the Hedgehog related media, spanning comic books, TV shows, and films.

The character was inspired by a kitsune, a creature from Japanese folklore that could over time grow multiple tails.

Sega of America crafted a compelling backstory for the character to convince the Japanese parent company and Sonic Team to have him named "Tails".

His fur changed color to a more yellow shade as opposed to the orange in his early appearances, and he gained blue irises.

In the American Sonic comic book, along with the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons, he was originally brown, as the only color reference of Tails provided to DIC Entertainment by Sega of America was an early sprite of Tails, which depicted him with a burnt orange color scheme; the comic artists and cartoon artists eventually decided to change Tails' fur color to match his in-game appearance.

In the Japanese dubs, Tails was voiced by Hekiru Shiina in 1996, Kazuki Hayashi in 1998, Atsuki Murata from 2000 to 2001 and by Ryō Hirohashi since 2003.

Beginning in 2003 with the Sonic X anime series, he was voiced by Amy Palant who would later take over the role in the video games, starting with Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005.

Since 2014, Tails has been voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey, including in the television series Sonic Boom and the live-action films.

[6] The character of Tails is portrayed as a very sweet-natured, gentle, kind, comforting,[11] and humble fox.

[13] Coupled with his skills as an airplane pilot, he uses a biplane nicknamed "Tornado" to assist Sonic on their adventures.

[17] Additionally, by spinning his two tails like a helicopter rotor, he has the unique ability to push himself through the air[11] to catch up with Sonic; however, this tires him quickly, hence his use of planes.

[19] He was a playable character from the second controller and could be chosen as player one for the main game, though he did not possess the ability to fly.

In later games, Tails had roles that require unique modes of play including Sonic Adventure, where he appears as one of the six playable characters.

He is the third character the player unlocks in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, where he acts as a team medic.

The seemingly-robotized Tails confronts Sonic at the game's final stage, but by retaining his free will, he takes the Deadly Six by surprise and attacks them.

[30] He also appears as a playable character in the Sonic Boom-themed games Rise of Lyric, Shattered Crystal and Fire & Ice.

In the hub world, Tails has a side quest for the player to aid him in disabling all of Eggman's roboticists.

[35] He also appears as a downloadable Mii Fighter costume in the crossover fighting games Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Ultimate, as well as being featured as a Spirit in the latter.

He assists Sonic with his flight and various gadgets throughout their journey, culminating in them teaming up with Knuckles to stop Robotnik from conquering the universe.

After they succeed, they agree to safeguard Master Emerald as they live together with Sonic's adoptive family, the Wachowskis.

"[43] IGN editor Lucas M. Thompson listed Tails as one of the Sonic the Hedgehog characters who should be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, citing his importance in the series and his abilities.

[45] IGN editor Levi Buchanan stated that the fan response to Tails' introduction was favorable, which led to further introductions such as Knuckles however when Sega noticed the popularity of Tails, and later Knuckles, they "just kept stuffing new faces and names into the game, pulling attention away from their hero".

[52] Tails was rated the third-most-popular character in the franchise, behind Sonic and Shadow, in an official poll from Sega in 2009.